The Way of Kings: The Stormlight Archive

According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms, but the Voidbringers followed. The Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, the Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won (or so the legends say).

The Lies of Locke Lamora

They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves.

The Blade Itself: The First Law: Book One

Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer, is trapped in a twisted and broken body - not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers.Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain and shallow, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men.

Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening, Book 1

When a high-ranking officer gallops into the quiet Mistyvales, he brings a warning that shakes the countryfolk to their roots. But for Aedan, a scruffy young adventurer with veins full of fire and a head full of ideas, this officer is not what he seems. The events that follow propel Aedan on a journey that only the foolhardy or desperate would risk, leading him to the gates of the nation's royal academy - a whole world of secrets in itself. But this is only the beginning of his discoveries.

The Shadow of What Was Lost: The Licanius Trilogy, Book 1

It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs - once thought of almost as gods - were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets.

Assassin's Apprentice: The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chilvary Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic: Arcane Ascension, Book 1

Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.

Gardens of the Moon: Malazan Book of The Fallen 1 - Volume 1

Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners and for Tattersail, sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead.

Beginnings: Adventures on Terra, Book 1

Armon Ellington is 19 year old kid that always felt out of place. He's an orphan, a gamer, and a role playing game geek. When he dies after a 72 hour gaming marathon, instead of going to an afterlife he's transported to a new world governed by rules that are eerily similar to the RPG games he loves. On this new world, Terra, he can be anything he wants, a warrior, mage, or even a crafter. Only, Armon wants more than that, he also wants friends and family.

The Magicians, Book 1

In a secret world of forbidden knowledge, power comes at a terrible price.... Quentin Coldwater's life is changed forever by an apparently chance encounter: when he turns up for his entrance interview to Princeton, he finds his interviewer dead - but a strange envelope bearing Quentin's name leads him down a path very different from any he'd ever imagined.

Steelheart: Reckoners, Book 1

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills. Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners.

The Black Prism: Book One of Lightbringer

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals. But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

The Lady of Crows: Raven's Shadow, Book 0.5

A quest for bloody vengeance forces Derla, a skilled veteran of the Varinshold underworld, into the service of arch schemer King Janus. Charged with protecting the renowned drunkard and cardsharp Sentes Mustor, Derla finds herself drawn into a high stakes game with the notorious criminal overlord known as One Eye.

Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1

Prince of Thorns is the first volume in a powerful new epic fantasy trilogy, original, absorbing and challenging. Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse.

The Land: Founding: A LitRPG Saga: Chaos Seeds, Book 1

In The Land: Founding, the first volume of the award-winning Chaos Seeds saga, the Exiles and Eternals toy with the lives of unwitting humans. Gamers sign away their souls in unread contracts as they log online each day. One at a time, these people are stolen, mind and soul, into a world of magic and adventure that operates by the same laws as the game they worshiped at for years.

Best Served Cold

Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

Fool's Assassin: Fitz and the Fool, Book 1

Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife, Molly, these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown. But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more....

Graceling: Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, Book 1

In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her Uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to carry out his dirty work, punnishing and torturing anyone who displeases him. Breaking arms and cutting off fingers are her stock-in-trade.

New Spring: A Wheel of Time Prequel

For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

A century before A Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros.... A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin's ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there were Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals - in stature if not experience.

Red Rising

Earth is dying. Thousands of workers, who live in the vast caves beneath Mars, mine the precious elements that will make the planet habitable. They are Earth's only hope. Until the day Darrow learns that it's a lie. Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations. Darrow disguises himself and infiltrates their society, intent on taking them down. But the surface is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only one with an agenda.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Prince of Fools: Red Queen's War, Book 1

The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire fear her as they fear no other. Her grandson Jalan Kendeth is a coward, a cheat, and a womaniser; and 10th in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures. Until he gets entangled with Snorri ver Snagason, a huge Norse axe man, and dragged against his will to the icy north.

Publisher's Summary

In The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss brings together elements from all the great fantasy writers, from George R. R. Martin to Robert Jordan, to create a thrilling and intricately spun story that will leave you breathless.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the university at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of Kvothe - currently known as Kote, the unassuming innkeeper - from his childhood in a troupe of travelling players, through his years spent as a near feral orphan in a crime riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic.

In these pages you will come to know Kvothe the notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin.

For some reason, I delayed listening to this. Now that I have started, I can't stop! (Am currently downloading part 2 of the Wise Man's Fear - the second book is just as good as the first!). Thoroughly enjoying this series....

First - Rupert Degas' narration is masterful. One of the best I've heard (and I have listended to close on 70 audio books in the last 2 years).

As for the story - just the right mix of drama, comedy, magic and general entertainment. The characters are well developed, and the story moves along at a cracking pace, and it's seldom predictable.

If you enjoyed Game of Thrones, or any of Brandon Sanderson's books, this is another one worth spending a few hours with. Patrick Rothfuss is a great story teller.

This book made me laugh and made me cry - and that is as great a compliment as I can make.The story is certainly good in its gender, main character well developped, style pleasant and not hard to follow - and the narration is beautifully done. I think hearing it might be actually even better then reading.... It had me hooked and addicted, and I'm looking forward to continuing the story!

Be warned - once you start listening to this book you are going to lose days of your life listening fanatically, so make sure you start at a convenient moment! As already mentioned, the fantastic narration by Rupert Degas adds another dimension - he goes from one character voice to another without missing a beat - truly impressive. I have just finished both parts of this first book and was delighted to see the second book waiting for me when I came to look today - can't wait to dive back in again!

I was enticed by the title and the sample. I read the review "One of the best..." By Edwina (Stowmarket, United Kingdom) Apr 8, 2012. ( and The Lies of Locke Lamora is my favourite book of all time). The review confirm my decision to spend my precious credit on The Name of the Wind (Part One). I haven't regretted a single moment and I have enjoyed every second! totally enthralling story and amazing narration by Rupert Degas. If you were to ask me whats my favourite book of all time,i now wouldn't know what to say. my only advice would try it yourself and then ask your self the same question.

I wasn't sure to start with whether I was going to enjoy this audiobook but a few hours in and I was hooked. Rupert Degas deserves so much praise for the narration of the book, he truly is one of the best narrators I have listened to- his ability to switch between a number of characters and the variety of accents is unbelievable. He really understands the characters and has made this series of books for me the most enjoyable part of my day - I spend 3 hrs in the car each day so this is a welcome distraction.
Fantastic writing as well, I'm about to finish the second book and am looking forward to the next installment.
If you loved Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell for it's magic and excellent narration then you will love this even more.

I love this book, and decided to use my accumulating Audible credits to buy the audiobook version as well. I'm so glad I did! Kvothe's tale is as good as ever, but the real highlight for me is the narration. Rupert Degas breathes life into the story, and has a wonderful range of voices and accents to give each character a seperate identity. (I've listened to more than one audiobook where the narration is so flat and unemotional it's like listening to a shopping list!) I particularly liked Ambrose's voice - clipped, nasal, and sounding uncannily like Prince Charles.

Even an excellent book can be killed by a poor narrator, but Rupert Degas is one of the best!

This book is absolutely wonderful and is even worth having to buy the book in two separate parts. It's beautifully written, absorbing, exciting and compulsive listening. It transports you convincingly into another world. One of the very best books I've read or listened to in the last five years. I highly recommend it. The narration is also very good and adds to the story. I can't wait for the next book to become available on audiobook. I love it so much I will buy it in addition to the paperback version.

Beautifully crafted book for a debut novel.
In many ways it moves along quite gently. You know it is going to develope into an epic, but this is the way into the story. It works very well as an audiobook because of an excellent narrator. A series to look forward to.

Patrick Rothfuss is a out and out genius. His writing is poetic yet accurate and builds a engrossing world. It is such a let down that such a great read cannot be finished. I have listened to the slow regard for silent things, and the first half of his second book. But for some reason the second part of both books are not available in Africa. I know that Africa is a backwards continent but at least do us the decency to finish a great story. This Internet is slow enough already......

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Niall

Menai, Australia

10/04/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"One of the best books I have ever listened to"

What did you love best about The Name of the Wind (Part One)?

Great story, engaging characters, this is a book that will hold your attention from cover to cover or you will find reasons to take a very long drive just to hear more.

What about Rupert Degas’s performance did you like?

Excellent and believable performance brings the story to life

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Joona Sainio

Turku, Finland

02/07/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great start to a series"

The book is self-contained enough to stand on its own, but I can't wait to read the rest of the series. I was compelled from start to finish. A new kind of style of fantasy that every fan of the genre should read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Robert

06/04/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great story, marvelous performance."

Rupert Degas is worth buying this version by itself. He is an absolute delight. cannot recommend it enough. I read this book when it came out and it's even better than I remember.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Peta

ARANDA, Australia

04/08/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Outstanding!"

I would most definitely recommend this book to any person interested in fantasy. Patrick Rothfuss has created an amazing world which gave me much pleasure to get lost in time and time again. The narration of this novel is second to none. I think you would be hard pressed to find a more talented narrator than Rupert Degas. His range of characters is more than impressive. I have enjoyed his performance so much I am now actively looking for other novels narrated by him.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Paora

27/03/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Amaising Book, Amaising Performance"

What did you love best about The Name of the Wind (Part One)?

First and foremost I have to comment that the performance that Rupert Degas gave in this book was absolutely stunning. He truly gave life to the characters. Even though I read the accents as different when reading the paper version, Rupert takes his impression of the characters to hights and actually fills the characters with more life than my imagination did. Nice One Mate

What did you like best about this story?

This story was truly new and distinct for me. As one that has been mired in classic Tolkien style fantasy since childhood Patrick Rothfuss has given me a vivid new world to lose myself in.

Though the story in the first book doesn't try to paint a huge amount of detail about the world you do get a clear indication of the time and technology of the setting. What Patrick does do is give a wonderful interplay between characters that are both believable and unique. The book is very character centric ,as you would expect from a book written mainly in the first person, but it is the quality that the characters are realised that makes this book truly a work of art. I can't wait for the next book. (*looks sternly at the publishing company for not releasing it sooner >8 | )

The only problem I had with the book (and let me say this is the moan of a person that wants more than is good for him) is that it finished too soon. Like one of those batman tv shows that stops just as things get really intense. I know its not a good reason to give the story 4 stars instead of 5, but since the next book in the series is not available in australia we can all just blame the publisher ;)

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

01/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Amazement "

This is probably the best fantasy book I've ever read(heard) the story is cleverly tangled together and slow pasted slowly revealing the secrets of Kvoth. possibly the best book I've ever read.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Martin

16/08/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Favorite book of all time!"

This is without a doubt the most entertaining and exciting book I've ever read (listened) to!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Anonymous

10/08/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"great story. finished it in 3 days.... amazing"

couldn't stop listening, with work and all.

can't wait to start the next book... would highly recommend

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Dane

30/07/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"masterpiece"

This is by far the most artful fantasy I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I had to try the audio and was pleasantly surprised by the exellent voice acting bringing the stoy to life in a new way. Well worth the cash. But is the 3rd book worrh the wait?

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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